Police Hold Disabled Man on Suspicion of DUI. Suspicious Behaviors Actually a Result of Brain Injury, Not Intoxication

Ryan Dinsmore was arrested and held for 3 hours under suspicion of DWI. His disability led officers to think him intoxicated.

Ryan Dinsmore of Olympia
Washington spent three hours in police
custody in March under suspicion of DWI. Police arrested the man after
observing what appeared to be intoxicated behaviors - behaviors that Dinsmore
explained to police were the result of a traumatic brain injury some years
earlier.

Dinsmore, on March 15th, pulled his car over to
ask directions from a stopped police officer. The officer, after observing his demeanor,
questioned him on his past day use of drugs or alcohol, and not satisfied with
the brain injury explanation, issued a field sobriety test which the
handicapped man failed.

Dinsmore was taken to the police station and given a
breathalyzer test, on which he blew a 0.00. Police then questioned him on the use
of other CNS depressants and escorted him to a local hospital for a blood test,
which revealed no drugs or alcohol in the body.

He was released from custody without charge after
approximately 3 hours.

Dinsmore's mom is angry about the way her son was treated,
and said that "He showed them the scar on the back
of his head; it's horrible — because you have a disability, that you're guilty
of something."

Dinsmore said that the experience was
"humiliating" and that he was handcuffed and treated like "a
common criminal".

Cmdr. Tor Bjornstad of the Olympia police countered
that based on the available evidence and the circumstances, the arresting
officers followed protocols and acted in a reasonable manner. Bjornstad did say
that he felt it very unfortunate for Dinsmore to have had such an experience.

Gene Van den Bosch, the
director of the Washington Brain Injury Association, says that Dinsmore's case
is certainly not unique, and says that he has heard of many similar cases – and
that unfortunately, there are no easy answers for police in these
circumstances. The agency is considering printing off cards that will explain
the nature of brain injuries to traffic police on roadside stops, but Van den
Bosch acknowledges that even this is an imperfect system, as brain injured
drivers may also drive while intoxicated.

For first responders at risk of PTSD and burnout, learn more about: daily habits that protect you, red-flags that warn of an impending problem and adaptive response techniques that safeguard your professional standing.